He was the team's starting middle linebacker for half of the preseason, before he was supplanted by Dan Connor.

He was the first off the bench when Connor went down with a burner against the Patriots in the preseason finale and was the first in when Connor left the game against Dallas.

"We've all been preparing to start since we came here in July," he said. "The preparation is the same."

But now, he stares down the possibility of manning the position for the rest of the season. In that sense, it's Herzlich's biggest opportunity as a Giant, having only received spot-starts in the past when injuries arose.

In his mind, though, there's no pressure. The defense has started holding players-only meetings to discuss film and ask questions. The goal is for no one to come into Sunday not knowing an assignment.

"We have a lot more players meetings where we'll get together with D-line, linebackers and DBs after a workday and everybody sits down for an hour, goes through the plays and says 'This is what I have questions with,'" Herzlich said.

Also helping will be the fact that Spencer Paysinger has taken over having the radio in his helmet during games. Since Paysinger is on the field for most Nickel and base variations, he will take all the calls from the sideline.